Happiness (1998)

Philip Seymour Hoffman and Lara Flynn Boyle in a scene from the film

I have finally seen Todd Solondz's film Happiness after months of dying to see it! I'm not sure if it started in 1990's America, but there seems to be a pattern of films from that time that were determined to destroy the 'American Dream' and show the reality of what happens to the typical American. A common typical American used in these films was the person living in suburbia with a husband/wife and kids whilst working in a dead-shit job. This is evident in such 90's films as American Beauty, Shortcuts, etc. I also think that Happiness is another great example of this.

Happiness, kind of tells the story of three sisters but also looks at the other people in their lives. The characters range from depressed to in denial to just being totally fucked up. And when I say fucked up I'm actually describing quite a few characters. For the most part I was quite impressed with the film; it raised some issues that perhaps haven't been covered so strongly in films that follow a similar theme. One issue that is looked at in particular is pedophilia. This is looked at through Dylan Baker's character, Bill Maplewood. His character, I found, was the most disturbing in the film and very hard to watch in scenes. I found it quite confronting when you would watch a scene where he discussed masturbation with his son so openly. It's these discussions that make you cringe and feel insanely uncomfortable. The final discussion he has with his son is the hardest to sit through.

Aside from the depressing and disturbing scenes in the film, it is often quite hilarious. An example of this is shown through a conversation between Philip Seymour Hoffman and Camryn Manheim in a diner. The story that Manheim tells Hoffman is told in such a funny way despite it's content and Hoffman's awkward reaction is genius! Solondz is an excellent filmmaker in that he manages to get a lot of emotions out of you and this film does it so well. It's a tough one to sit through but the performances from all actors are outstanding. Philip Seymour Hoffman is such a standout, I seriously don't think I have ever seen a film with him in it where I haven't been amazed by his acting.

In the end, despite being a little confronted and upset by some scenes, I was impressed overall. All stories are told brilliantly and even if it did get me a little down, it's always those films that linger and make an impact.

Rating: 4/5

Black Swan, 127 Hours & Blue Valentine

Okay, so I guess I should probably explain why I haven't done a post in 3 months. Well, I have been travelling for those past few months visiting places like New York, Europe & London. Of course I had computers over there and saw many films during my travels, so I guess my only excuse is pure laziness. But I am determined this year to double the amount of reviews I did last year. So I'm going to cheat a little and review quite a few films in this post.

Black Swan

Natalie Portman in a scene from the film

After shopping all day on 5th Avenue, New York, I wandered outside of Urban Outfitters, (after being in there just over an hour; yes that store is awesome) to discover there was a cinema just a few doors down. There were two films showing, The King's Speech and Black Swan. Having read about Black Swan before I left, I knew that it was directed by Requiem for a Dream director, Darren Aronofsky and of course Natalie Portman was starring in it, so naturally I didn't hesitate to purchase a ticket.

Unfortunately it has been about 3 months since I saw Black Swan and my memory is not the greatest. So I can just tell you how this film made me feel. During the film there were moments where I was terrified (I even jumped in a part and I do not scare easily), I laughed on quite a few occasions but most of the time I was just captivated at the look of the film and the story just blew my mind. After seeing the film I was unsure of how I felt about it. But I think what makes a good film is one that stays with you days after viewing it which is exactly what Black Swan did for me. I am still thinking about it. Occasionally I'll be like, 'Damn! That ending... boy!' It really did just blow my mind. Highly recommend all to see it and Natalie Portman is phenomenal. The training she must have gone through to do this role would have been hard work, so glad she won the oscar for Best Actress, truly worthy of the award.

Rating: 4/5

127 Hours

An example of the split screen look used throughout the film

Having roamed around Bayswater, London for an hour or so in search of a cinema so that I could see Sofia Coppola's Somewhere, I finally came across a cinema in a shopping mall. I was devastated to discover that they weren't showing Coppola's new film so had to choose out of the third Meet the Parents film, some shitty looking kids movie, Love and Other Drugs or 127 Hours. Having not heard anything about 127 Hours but just seeing that it starred James Franco and was directed by the awesome Danny Boyle (after observing the poster), my decision was made.

Once again, my memory is a little vague and I can't remember this film in detail so this review is going to be a brief one. I loved the editing style with the split screen kind of look that was used a lot in the beginning and occasionally throughout when Franco's character is thinking about his life before being trapped under a rock. The film is shot mainly in this spot where Franco is trapped and we watch him struggle to get out and survive the 127 hours he spends there. This is broken up with him thinking of his life and regretting things he has done. There is a moment in the film where you will be cringing so hard you won't be able to look at the screen. It was quite amusing to hear the cinema audience gasping and cringing and turning their heads away from the screen. It's a great film and one I'm so glad I didn't miss.

Rating: 4/5

Blue Valentine

Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams

So I'm lost somewhere in London in search of a cinema I had googled and then I turn a corner to only discover Picadilly Circus. It was pretty awesome. I managed to make it to the cinema only 10 minutes late after looking for it for over half an hour. The film I went to see was Blue Valentine and I think me getting terribly lost was a sign for me not to see it...

Having heard such great things about this film I was quite excited to see it. And Ryan Gosling as the lead male in the film made me not want to miss it. But unfortunately for me my favourite thing about this film was seeing a sexy Gosling in a leather jacket with stubble, pulling out all the moves as well as an offensive joke about a child molester (I laughed at the joke for probably too long). For the rest of it I felt utterly depressed and just kept feeling like I was watching another take on the film Revolutionary Road but in a more present time. Revolutionary Road is one of the best films I have ever seen but it made me feel so depressed and put such a downer on my evening after seeing it, so much so that I have never been able to watch it again. Blue Valentine did this for me as well but in a way that I wasn't as impressed as I was after viewing Revolutionary Road. I think it mainly had to do with my feelings at the time because I was in such a good mood so left the cinema feeling quite pissed off that it had dampened my spirits. I think you have to be weary of how you'll feel after coming out of this one. But overall I felt kind of annoyed at it. The performances were great from both leads but it just kind of frustrated me if anything. Such a shame. But perhaps this is just the film for people to see if they are going through a break up and can be reminded that, yes relationships tend to suck.

Rating: 2.5/5

Grey Gardens (2009)

Jessica Lange and Drew Barrymore in a scene from the film

Having seen the documentary Grey Gardens (1975), I became interested in this made for television movie about the lives of big and little Edie Beale. Don't be put off by the fact that it was 'made for television,' this was clearly a mistake when you view the film.

Grey Gardens tells the story of this mother and daughter that the documentary only gave us hints of. With scenes remaking moments from the documentary and also scenes that take us into the background of these unusual women, we get more of an insight into the unusual lives of the two Edie's.

The acting and settings in this film are quite extraordinary. I am such a fan of Drew Barrymore, whether she is in a rom-com like Never Been Kissed or playing a teacher in the trippy film Donnie Darko, she never disappoints me. I absolutely adored her in this film, she captures little Edie's character exquisitely! Same of course goes for Jessica Lange as big Edie; a phenomenal performance. You could honestly watch the documentary and film back and forth and not spot a difference. This is also of course evident in the settings, where you can tell fine detail has gone into making it look just the original (referring to the house and costumes).

I guess I am a biased viewer as I am a bit of a fan of the documentary, so really appreciated what this film was about. But, I think if you are not aware of the story of the Beales, this film will not confuse you, it is ideal for either viewer. I may come off like I Loved this film, but it didn't 'blow my mind,' I just really enjoyed getting a new insight into the famous mother and daughter pair.

Rating: 3.5/5

Let The Right One In

Kåre Hedebrant in a scene from the film

Having known about this film for quite some time now, I became more interested in it again when Matt Reeves remake of the Swedish film, Let Me In, was released. Rather than going and seeing the remake at the cinema, (which has actually received rave reviews) I decided to see the original first.

Let The Right One In tells the story of bullied 12-year-old Oskar. When Eli, a vampire, moves in next door, he befriends the pale young girl and romance begins to blossom. What I loved about this vampire tale was that it wasn't a horror, it wasn't a sappy romance like the one in Twilight and there wasn't an annoying vampire gang of friends. It was a love story between two children that had its complications because one of them needs blood to live.

The setting of the film takes place in a small poor town somewhere in Sweden surrounded in snow. The way each scene is shot it makes everything about this poor town seem somewhat beautiful. Like the picture above, Oskar is in his tiny bedroom doing morse code to Eli who is in the room next door. The wallpaper on his wall adds to the beauty of this scene but it's also an intimate moment between two people. Ahh I'm just crapping on, but I felt like this film was shot so beautifully that it was just mesmerizing. The story isn't solely told through dialogue, there are a lot of quiet moments where you just enjoy the scenery.

I'm not a big fan of the vampire genre that is taking over our screens lately, but this film was a breath of fresh air. Also since seeing this and The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, I'm determined to watch more Swedish films. Judging by my other reviews I have tended to only watch foreign films that are French (I am a big fan of French cinema) but I think I'll venture out a bit now.

Rating: 4.5/5

The Piano Teacher

Benoit Magimel & Isabelle Huppert in a scene from the film

I saw this film two weeks ago but I have not known how to even begin reviewing this film. I have scribbled down so many observations and analysis' I made about it in my journal, but have just chosen to read over them again and again but never actually begin this post. So here I am starting this not knowing what will come next but will attempt to tackle it regardless.

The Piano Teacher comes from genius director Michael Haneke. I have been intrigued by this man since viewing a remake of his own film, Funny Games, (I have recently purchased the original so I can see how different they are, am very much looking forward to it!) which disturbed me but intrigued me so much and left me in awe. The Piano Teacher, managed to get a similar response from me.

The Piano Teacher tells the story of pianist, Erika Kohut (Isabelle Huppert) who leads a life as a piano teacher and lives with her mother. Deep down Erika has a sick mind when it comes to sex and it's when she meets piano student, Walter Klemmer (Benoit Magimel - love that name by the way) who pursues her, that her sick fantasies are revealed. Huppert's character is sad and disturbing and as a viewer you don't know whether to feel sorry for her or judge her.

Haneke's disturbing themes are thought provoking rather than just being there for the sole purpose of disturbing you. It seems his main intentions aren't to confront and disturb you but to rather slap you in the face. It's as if he is saying; we always expect a happy resolution at the end of a film but instead we must be confronted with reality. Its disturbing themes are intelligent, it's as if Haneke has a well educated background and is intent on showing you the truth through ways we have never seen in other films.

There's no kidding though, some scenes are quite confronting and not at all for those who prefer Disney classics or a Steve Martin movie. I strongly recommend this to those of you who are fans of Harmony Korine or Larry Clark. It's a similar kind of vibe but dedicated to an older market perhaps...

Rating: 4/5

Welcome to the Dollhouse (1995)

Just one of the many outfits from the film that are overwhelming for the eye

So firstly a bit of background information on how I came across this film. I am addicted to my 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die book, my head is always in it at least once a week. I came across this film called Happiness in it which stars the brilliant Philip Seymour Hoffman & Lara Flynn Boyle (Twin Peaks). I was so intrigued by it's story and watched the trailer to it numerous times and then began reading up on the director Todd Solondz. This is how I discovered Welcome to the Dollhouse, as Solondz is the director. I have been scouring the shelves of dvd stores for months in the hope of coming across either of these films. It was just last week that I would casually step into JB Hi-Fi with the intention of purchasing nothing (always a fail) and just come across a copy of Welcome to the Dollhouse, simple as that! After watching it though, I am feeling rather unsure about my discovery.

The film follows loner, Dawn Wiener, who is both an outcast at school and at home. Constantly being called Wienerdog at school and ridiculed for not being as sweet and cute as her younger sister at home, Dawn leads a fairly miserable life as a result. What I didn't like about this film is the shit Heather Matarazzo's character, Dawn, has to go through. The taunting at school is one thing but to get so much crap from the mother at home is just frustratingly annoying. The shit Dawn has to go through was just overwhelming and quite ridiculous really to the point that it wasn't quite believable.

This all aside though, I can see the film's appeal. It's quite quirky and funnily enough, original despite the overused storyline of the loner who gets taunted all the time. I just can't make up my mind though whether this is enough to make me like the film. When the film was finished I felt rather disappointed but over the past few days I've been thinking more about it and I think I liked it. I think I'm going to have to give it more time though or another viewing before I can fully make up my mind about it. So for that reason I am not going to give it a rating. However, I'll still be hunting for a copy Happiness.

The Kids Are All Right

The family

I'm still trying to work out how I feel about this film. I appreciate it for its originality, incredible acting and all round terrific storyline but unfortunately there were unresolved parts that left me feeling a little disappointed.

The Kids Are All Right revolves around a modern day family; two children and their lesbian mums. When Joni & Laser decide to get in contact with the sperm donor who made their family possible, things begin to change and Nic, the head of the family, doesn't like it.

The film isn't all serious, there are moments where you find yourself laughing quite loud i.e. an interesting D.V.D. that the two mums have sex to, makes for some awkward yet hilarious moments. The acting is also remarkable, but what do you expect when you have a film starring Julianne Moore, Annette Bening and Mark Ruffalo (I'm also a big fan of the Alice in Wonderland star now, Mia Wasikowska, an absolutely stunning yet quirky girl, I'm expecting big things!) Julianne Moore and Annette Bening are perfect as the lesbian mums, there's nothing stereotypical about their roles, they act them out perfectly and flawlessly.

But of course there is the matter of unanswered questions. I'm not going to give the story away, but at the end you are kind of left asking but then what happens with so and so, why are we left with this part unresolved. I guess it's left to interpretation or just assumption, which I can accept, but you can't help but feel a little uneasy.

Overall, I was pretty pleased with the film. It's not something I'd go out and rush to see again, but I'd recommend to those who are in the mood for something original and less Hollywood.

Rating: 3.5/5